Fiber-case railway-torpedo.



F. BUTCHER.

FIBER CASE RAILWAY TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. n. 1913.

PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.,wAsHlNcTON. n. C.

F. BUTCHER.

FIBER CASE RAILWAY TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I7. I9I3.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

= s'rnrns SIGNAL COMPANY, ,OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, :AiCORPORATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

FIBER-CASE RAILWAY-TORPEDO.

Specification oiLetters- Patent.

Patented .Septfi, .1915.

-'Applica.tion--filed September 17, 1913. Seria1wo.1790,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK BUTCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Versailles, in the county of Alleghenyand State ofPennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful-Improvements inFiberlaseRailway-Torpedoes, of whichlthe following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in fiber case railway torpedoes,made of a sheet of fiber so folded and cemented together that a strong,durable and waterproof torpedois produced.

The object of my invention is: to form the casing of a fiber torpedofrom a blank of fiber and so fold it around the explosive tablet orcompound that the same is wholly inclosed and at the same time providemeans whereby the lead or spring attaching strap is securely fastenedthereto.

A still further object of myinvention'is to provide a torpedo ofthischaracter in which a flat lower face is formed'to rest upon the rail andat the same time provide a cheap, simple and more effective torpedohaving certain details of structure hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring now to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved torpedo applied to the rail and using the lead attaching strap.Fig. 2 is a perspective bottom plan view of the torpedo shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 44 ofFig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the blank from which my improvedtorpedo is formed, showing it in a partly folded position. Fig. 6 is abottom perspective view of a modified form of torpedo embodying myinvention, showing a spring clip applied'thereto. Fig. 7 is alongitudinal sectional view of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of theblank ofwhich my torpedo is formed, showing the means'by which thespring clip attaching plate is secured to the blank.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 represents the blank of which myimproved torpedo is formed, and consists of a main bodyportion 2, havingat one side the flap 3, having its ends beveled, as indicated at 4. Theouter edge of the flap 3 is provided with a flap 5, which is of an areaapproximately equal ato:-that:of;.the explosive -compound:6,ato beinclosed in the..torpedo. Theouter edgeof :the 'fiap 5 is provided withaflap 7 which has its edges -8 diverging outwardly and formed on: theouter end ofthesaid flap 7 is qca flap: 9. -Thisflap 9.isof,an areaequal to that of'the main-body portion 2 .and fits tightly-down upon thesame, as will be hereinafter morefully described.

The main body I portion; 2 of the torpedo,

-in.1the form shownin'Figs. 11-.to 5,.is provided with twolongitudinally extending .spaced slits -10 and 11,,through which thelead attaching strap 12 is Et-hreaded. The blank of which the torpedois. formed; is preferably of fiber, such as paper and it. has been foundthat they ordinary paper roofing, such as is commonly used forms, ayerygood .com-

position out of which tOr2St2l1I1P the blanks.

. Such roofingis: usually flexible and enables the blankto bereadilyifolded. The ends of the body-portion :2 are provided with-flaps.13 and 14:, .wh-ichaare oft-a.1ength,.slightly greater than theinclined walls 1410f the flap 3, the purpose. of which; is to allow the.flaps l3 and 14. to assume a. curved .position and be folded inwardly asclearly .shown; in Fig. 4. In .assemblingrthe torpedo theoexplosivecompound ortablet 6 is placed upon the upper faceofthefiap 9 andfoldedover upon the flap 5. The upper face of the body-portion is thencoatedwith cement or other waterproofing material and the lower face ofthe flap 9 is folded down uponthe I body-portion and cemented thereto,thefiaps 3 and "'7 covering the sides of the explosive tablet 6. Theends of the torpedocase are then given a heavy coating of cement asindicated at 15, and the end'fiaps folded in- 'wardly andupwardlyundenthe lowerface of the fiap .5, as clearly :shown inFig. a ofthe drawings.

In the modification shownin Figs. 6, 7 and 8, instead of providing themain-body portion'2withthe parallel longitudinal slits 16 by a rivet 20,as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

In the form shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the blank is made precisely asthat shown in the first five figures and needs no further description.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A railway torpedo composed of a blank having a body portion, flapscarried by one side of the body portion and constructed and folded toform an open-ended case having a reduced upper face, an explosive compound within the case and said body portion having flaps at the ends ofa length greater than the open ends of the case and adapted to be foldedinto the same in a curved position, and having their outer edgesabutting the lower face of the top of the torpedo case.

2. A railway torpedo comprising a body portion, a flap secured to oneside of the body portion and having slanting end walls, the said flapcarrying at one side a rectangular top of an area less than the bodyportion, the opposite edge of said top carrying a flap having its wallsdiverging and a rectangular portion carried by the free edge of thelast-mentioned flap and of an area equal to that of the body portion, anexplosive compound Within the body-portion and flaps carried by the endsof the body portion, and of a length greater than the open slanting endsof the case and adapted to be folded into the same in a curved positionand having their outer edges abutting the lower face of the top of thetorpedo case.

3. A railway torpedo, composed of a blank having a body-portion, flapscarried by the body-portion and constructed and arranged to be folded toform an open ended case having the upper face of a length less than thatof the body-portion, an explosive compound within the case, saidbody-portion having flaps at the ends of a length greater than the openends of the case and adapted to be folded into the same in a curvedposition, substantially as shown and described.

4. A railway torpedo composed of a blank having at one side flapsconstructed and arranged to form an open ended case secured to the upperface of the body portion, an explosive compound within the open endedcase and end flaps carried by the ends of the body portion and of alength greater than the end walls of the case and adapted to fold 7 upWithin the ends of the open ended case in a curved position against theside Walls thereof and under the top thereof in a curved position.

5. A railway torpedo composed of a blank having at one side flapsconstructed and arranged to form an open ended case secured to the upperface of the body portion, a railattaching strap secured to the lowerface of the body portion, an explosive compound within the open-endedcase and end flaps carried by the ends of the body portion, and of alength greater than the end walls of the case and adapted to fold upwithin the ends of the open ended case in a curved position against thesides and under the top thereof in a curved position.

6. A railway torpedo comprising a body portion, flaps carried by thebody portion and constructed and folded to form an open ended casehaving a reduced upper face and an explosive compound within the case,and said body portion having flaps at the ends of a length greater thanthe open ends of the case and adapted to be folded into the same in acurved position and having their outer edges abutting the lower face ofthe top of the case.

7 A. railway torpedo composed of a blank having a body portion, havingtwo slits, a rail-attaching strap threaded through said slits forsecuring it thereto, flaps carried by one side of the body portion andconstructed and folded to form an open-ended case, an explosive compoundwithin the case, the upper face of the case being shorter than the bodyportion, a plastic cement composition placed vwithin the open ends ofthe case against the explosive mixture and said body portion havingflaps at the ends of a length greater than the open ends of the case andadapted to be folded into the same in a curved position against thecement, and having their outer edges abutting the lower face of the topof the open-ended case. H

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

FRANK DUTCHER.

lVitnesses R. W. JUNKER, G. M; LEONARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

